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| The Canterbury Tales (Penguin Classics) | 
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (based on 30 reviews)
Sales Rank: 2570
Category: Book
Author: Geoffrey Chaucer
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Studio: Penguin Classics
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
Label: Penguin Classics
Languages: Old English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Edition: Revised
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 528
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5 x 0.9
ISBN: 0140424385
Dewey Decimal Number: 821.1
EAN: 9780140424386
ASIN: 0140424385
Publication Date: February 4, 2003
Release Date: February 4, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 The strength of Chaucer's verse shines through.... June 29, 2007
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Chaucer was a master story teller. He was a master poet. He was a master writer. He was just blessed, gifted... there aren't enough words to express the depth of Chaucer's talent... his gift.
This collection reminds me why I fell in love with Chaucer's work back in college. It's one of the more complete collections and I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end.
I will read it a thousand times in my life and will undoubtedly love it more with each reading!
Canterbury Tales - Which Version is Best For You? April 28, 2007
19 out of 20 found this review helpful
Over some period I have read several translations of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. My first experience, selections in a high school text, was not promising. (Possibly, I was not yet ready for Chaucer.) Translating poetry from one language to another is difficult and often unsuccessful. Translating Chaucer from Middle English is not much easier. English has changed dramatically in the last 600 years, to the point that Middle English is nearly indecipherable. For example, we read Chaucer's description of the Knight's appearance:
Of fustian he wered a gipoun (Of coarse cloth he wore a doublet)
Al bismotered with his habergeoun (All rust-spotted by his coat-of-mail)
A glossary, persistence, and considerable time are required for reading the original Chaucer. If you choose to do so, the Riverside Chaucer edition (edited by L. Benson) and the Norton Critical Edition (edited by Olson and Kolve) are highly recommended. The Signet Classic paperback (edited by D. R. Howard) modernizes the spelling a bit, but still largely adheres to the original Chaucer.
Although your instructor will most likely assign a particular edition of Canterbury Tales, it can be exceedingly helpful to pick-up an additional version or two. A slightly different translation may entirely surprise you, may even resonate with you, making Chaucer much more enjoyable. I suggest that you look for these versions:
Canterbury Tales, Penguin edition, translated by Nevill Coghill, is an excellent poetic translation. It is a complete collection arranged by Group A thru H. It also includes The Parson's Prologue, The Parson's Tale in synopsis, and Chaucer's Retractions. Coghill's translation remains my favorite.
Selected Canterbury Tales, Dover Thrift edition - provides a poetic, rather than literal interpretation, and is quite readable. The collection of tales is fairly small, however.
The Canterbury Tales, Bantam Classic paperback edited by Hieatt, uses the "facing page" format with the original Chaucer on the left and a modern literal translation on the right page. I found the literal translation a little wooden, but this edition can be quite helpful if you need some help with Middle English. (A guide to phonetics, grammar, spellings, and a glossary is provided.)
Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (Barrons Educational Series) uses an "Interlinear Translation" format in which each line of Middle English is followed by a modern translation (literal to make the comparison easier). I rather like this approach.
Canterbury Tales, John Murray Publishers, London is hard to find, but provides a partial translation to modern English, maintaining as much as possible of the Middle English. This rather clever approach is somewhat risky, but the translator H. L. Hitchins pulls it off. With some effort I could follow the text without continually referring to a glossary and in a limited way I was "reading Middle English".
Canterbury Tales, Pocket Books, prose translation by R. M. Lumiansky, is easy to read, but while this prose format adheres to the storyline, it is only a shadow of the poetic Chaucer. However, it can be helpful if you are not comfortable with poetry.
Tall Tales Live Forever February 12, 2007
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Chaucer was ahead of his times in many ways and the Canterbury Tales reveal it. Human nature has not changed since the Middle Ages and these Tales take a modern day reader into himself/herself as well as into the past. A wonderful companion book to the Canterbury Tales is Walking to Canterbury by Jerry Ellis. This author--he also wrote Walking the Trail, One Man's Journey Along the Cherokee Trail of Tears, nominated for a Pulitzer--walked the route of the Canterbury Tales to explore contemporary life in England and interweave it with the history and traditions of Chaucer's times to make for a wonderful adventure.
Superb poetic narration, very easy to read. August 25, 2006
11 out of 12 found this review helpful
If you've ever considered reading this quintessential Chaucer classic in the original Middle English, don't. Read this version instead (unless you just happen to be really into Middle English). Neville Coghill does a masterful job of bringing the text into a form that is easily absorbed by the modern reader. The narrative flows smoothly in an inobtrusive meter, yet retains all the charm of the original version and enough of the old vocabulary to lose none of Chaucer's intended flavor. Helpful endnotes are sprinkled throughout to offer explanations of some of the more obscure allusions.
As to the substance of the text itself, what can one say? The story is straightforward: a motley band of unforgettable characters from every walk of English society, brought together on pilgrimage, and entertaining themselves along the way with a friendly contest about who can spin the most rousing tale. Their offerings range from the noble to the cynical, the bawdy to the pious, and all shades in between. If you've never experienced the richness of The Canterbury Tales, this translation is an excellent choice. Heck, it's an excellent choice even if you have read it before. Enjoy!
 One degree of separation... May 11, 2006
54 out of 55 found this review helpful
The question is not whether to read the Canterbury Tales, but whether to read them in this translation -- or whether to go for the Middle English with all its difficulties.
I'm a purist. As a Chaucer teacher myself, I'd say read the tales in the Riverside Chaucer or in the Norton Critcal editon with lots of footnotes. But, yes, that is harder, and I'd rather see readers get some experience than none.
So, if you are going to compromise, Nevill Coghill's poetic translation is really as good a place to go as any. You will get the basic sense of Chaucer's verse; you'll get the basic rhymes and rhythms too. This is the translation that's used in most high school classes, and in many college survey classes that don't read the text in the original. It's really a fine compromise -- not only a good place to start, but also a decent trot if you are struggling with the Middle English.
You can find some closer translations of some of the tales online if you look up Michael Murphy's websites. But for all their virtues, they don't have the smoothness of Coghill's renditions; Murphy's translations are not the complete Tales; and it's clunky to print them out. This economical edition is probably still the best place to start with Chaucer, father of English poetry and the originator of comedy in the English language.
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